Wheel mounting for automobiles



Nov. 7, 1939. wY P. wooDs Er A1. 2,178,734

WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 6, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 A omeys Nov. 7, 1939. w. P. WOODS ET ALl I 2,178,734

WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIHHIHI' InventorS A orneys Nov. 7, 1939. w, p WOODS Er AL 2,178,734

WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed June 6, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l Inventum` '7 M 'MFM/7.1? M/oocs 4- www i wwf/f By @MMM Patented Nov. 7, 1939 PATENT OFFlCE WHEEL MOUNTING FOR AUTOMOBILES Warren P. Woods and Walter E. Smith, Vienna, Ill.

Application June 6, 1938, Serial No. 212,141

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to wheel mountings for automobiles and similar vehicles and has for its primary object to provide an axle assembly to which the wheel may be releasably se- '5 cured, the assembly embodying a plurality of staples and the Wheel embodying a plurality of slidably mounted locking bolts adapted to engage the staples to secure the wheel in position on the assembly, together with rack and gear manipulating means for the bolts and means for locking the gear against movement, when desired.

A further object is to provide a wheel mounting of this character of simple and practical construction, ecient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted `for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the hub portion of the wheel showing the locking mechamsm.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on a line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a front elevational view of the axle assembly.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view thereof, and

Figure 5 is a detail of one of the locking bolts.

Figure 6 is a detail of one of the guide plates.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 5 designates an axle assembly`r generally which includes a tubular axle 3 having a flanged disk 'I formed at its outer end, the outer surface of the disk being provided with a plurality of lugs 8 and a plurality of staples 9 projecting outwardly from the surface thereof.

The wheel to be mounted on the axle assembly preferably is of the disk type, the disk being indicated at Ill and having a pair of segmental plates I I secured to its outer surface by rivets l2, the disk and plates being provided with aligned openings I3 for receiving the lugs 8 and a plurality of aligned slotted openings I4 for receiving the staples 9, the lugs being adapted to support the load.

The plates II have an edge I5 disposed in spaced parallelism with respect to each other and on the outer surface of the plates, adjacent said edge I5 is a guide I6, said guides being welded or otherwise secured to the outer surface of guide brackets I6', the latter being secured to the plate II by rivets I'I. Shims I'I support the ends of the guide I6 in spaced relation from the plate I I. A pair of locking bolts I8 are positioned in spaced parallel relation against the outer surface of the disk I0 in the plane of the plates II, and adjacent the edges I5 of said plates, one end of each of said bolts being movable into and out of engagement with one of the staples 9, the opposite end of the bolts being provided with a reduced extension I9 and an adjacent edge of the plates II being provided with extensions 20 in longitudinal alignment with the extensions` I9 and on said extension is positioned a coil spring 2I, one end of which abuts the bolt I9 and the other end of the spring in abutting engagement with the plate I I.

Mounted flatwise against the bolts I8, and outwardly thereof, is a pair of spaced parallel locking bolts 22 also slidably mounted under the guides I6 and brackets I6 and likewise having one end movable into and out of engagement with respect to one of the staples .9. As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 1 of the drawings, the bolts I8 and 22 are arranged at right angles with respect to each other, substantially in the form of a square and have their inner edges formed with teeth 23. The teeth of each bolt are operatively engaged by a pinion 24 formed on a polygonal shaft 25, the inner end of the pinion being provided with a conical head 26 seated in a conical recess 21 of the disk I0 and secured therein by a plate 28.

A plurality of lugs 29 project outwardly from the guides IB, the outer ends of the lugs being bent inwardly as at 30 in overlying relation with respect to the outer edge of a ring member 3l freely positioned for rotary movement on the outer surface of the guides I6. Within the ring member is positioned a plate 32 having a central opening for receiving the hub portion 33 of a ratchet member 34, said ratchet member having a central opening for conformably receiving the shaft 25. A pair of locking pawls 36 are secured to the plate 32 by a pivot 31, the plate being anchored to a bracket 38 secured to the disk I0. One end of the pawl, indicated at 39, is adapted for engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 34, and yieldably urged in position with respect thereto by a spring 40 while the other end of the pawl, indicated at 4I, is engageable with a cam surface 42 formed on the inner periphery of the ring member 3|. As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 1 of the drawings, the pawls 36 are normally disengaged from the ratchet and when the ring member 3I has been moved into a position to allow the end 4I of the pawl to enter the cam surface 42 the spring will move the end 39 of the pawl into engagement with the ratchet to lock the same against movement.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that with the pawls in a disengaged position, as shown in Figure 1, the shaft 25 is free to be manipulated to rotate the pinion 24 whereby to project each of the bolts I8 and 22 into engagement with their respective staples to lock the wheel in position on the hub assembly. After the wheel has Y been locked in position the ring member 3l may then be partially rotated to permit an engagement of the pawls 36 with the ratchet 34, thus securing the parts against unlocking movement.

It is believed the details of construction and manner of operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is:

1. A wheel mounting Vcomprising an axle assembly including a disk, a plurality of staples projecting outwardly from the disk, a wheel also embodying a disk having slotted openings for receiving said staples, bolts slidably carried by the wheel and means for manipulating said bolts into and out of position with respect to said staples to lock the wheel to said axle assembly, said manipulating means embodying racks formed on the bolts, a pinion rotatably carried by the disk of the wheel and a shaft projecting from the pinion for operating the same.

2. A wheel mounting comprising an axle assembly including a disk, a wheel also embodying a disk having slotted openings therein, staples projecting outwardly from the disk of the axle assembly through said openings, guides carried by the disk of the wheel, bolts slidably mounted in said guides and movable into and out of engagement with respect to said staples, racks carried by said bolts, a pinion rotatably carried by the disk of the wheel and engaged with said racks for moving said bolts into and out of engaged position with respect to said staples and a pawl and ratchet mechanism adapted to secure said pinion against movement.

3. VA wheel mounting comprising an axle assembly including a disk, a wheel also embodying. a disk having slotted openings therein, staples projecting outwardly from the disk of the axle assembly through said openings, guides carried by the disk of the wheel, bolts slidably mounted in said guides and movable into and out of engai-gement wtih respect to said staples, vracks carried by said bolts, a pinion rotatably carried by the disk of the Wheel and engaged with said racks for moving said bolts into and out of engaged position ywith respect to said staples, a pawl and ratchet mechanism adapted to secure said pinion against movement and a rotatable ring member having camming engagement with the pawl to release the pawl from the ratchet.

WARRENP. WOODS. WALTER E. SMITH. 

